Ruth D. Protz

Ruth D. Liskow Protz, 88, of Oshkosh passed away on Saturday March 31, 2012, at Mercy Medical Center to be with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Ruth, the daughter of Richard and Laura Poppendorf Liskow, was born on February 14, 1924 in the Town of Grant, Shawano Co., Wisconsin, in the log house built by her great-grandfather August Poppendorf Sr. in 1876. In her early years she was raised in Marion, WI. She was baptized at the Salem Evangelical Church and attended kindergarten in Marion. In 1929 the family moved to Caroline, WI when her father bought the blacksmith shop there. She was confirmed there at Zion Lutheran Church in 1936. She attended Caroline Grade School and Marion high School, graduating with the Class of 1941. Ruth went to Milwaukee, and for a short time, worked for W. D. Van Dyke Jr. and Dun and Bradstreet. Then, for ten years, she was employed at John Deere Plow Co. as an Accounts Receivable Bookkeeper. She then became a fulltime mother and homemaker. On June 30, 1945 Ruth married William Protz at Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church in Milwaukee. Bill was a Hospital Corpsman at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station. After the war they made their home in Milwaukee until 1965. They moved to Oshkosh when they bought a plumbing wholesale business, operating as Lakeland Plumbing Supply. Together they liked traveling, camping, dancing, skiing, and being involved in the athletic activities of their sons, and later adored and enjoyed their grandchildren. They were married 56 years when Bill passed away on October 26, 2001. Ruth enjoyed Bible Study and reading. She was adept at landscape photography and left years of family history via the photos she took. She sewed and did all sorts of needlework, knitting, crewel, cross stitch, and making quilts. She became interested in tracing her family roots when she learned that the great-grandparents Poppendorf family had lived in Oshkosh six years before moving to Shawano Co. That is when genealogy became the avocation she pursued for many years. She was a charter and life member of the Winnebagoland Genealogical Society. She was active in the club, serving as an officer and as a volunteer at the courthouse to help those in need of assistance with their research. She compiled a Research Guide to Winnebago Co. and five volumes of Winnebago Co. Vital Statistics. Besides researching five of her own family lines, she did research in Winnebago County for folks who did not have easy access. She was also a charter and life member of the Marion Area Historical Society. Surviving are three sons and two daughters-in-law; David and Doreen of Hudson, WI, Daniel and Sandra of Oshkosh, and Peter of Oshkosh; three grandchildren Tabetha, Nicholas, and Kirsten Protz; four step-grandchildren, Shalaun, Clinton, Loni, and Chelsea Lyons; four step-great-grandchildren, Mitchell, Halen, and Lydia Cartwright, and Roman Swan; sisters-in-law; brothers-in-law; nieces; nephews; and cousins. Besides her husband and parents, she was preceded in death by a daughter-in-law Connie, an infant brother Roy, and her sister Betty Lou Oplinger. Ruth was a member of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 1206 Ontario St, Oshkosh where services will be held Tuesday April 3, 2012 at 11:00 a.m., Rev. Paul Lidtke officiating. Visitation will be held at the church Tuesday from 10 a.m. until the service. Burial will be in Wyeville Cemetery, Wyeville, WI.

Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church



1206 Ontario Street
Oshkosh
WI
54901

Tuesday, April 03, 2012
10 a.m. - service



Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church



1206 Ontario Street
Oshkosh
WI
54901

Tuesday, April 03, 2012
11:00 a.m.



Wyeville Cemetery